About
Making in Penwith
I design and make furniture from a small workshop near St Ives in West Penwith, Cornwall, where I am building a practice that embraces the local landscape, its raw materials and the Penwith peninsula’s huge diversity of craft. Prior to craft, I studied biology and worked in nature restoration, drawn to nature and understanding landscapes like the farm I grew up on.
My great-grandfather made furniture, and I often think about him — what it must have been like to be a reluctant farmer, quietly dreaming of making full time. I never imagined I'd find my way here, and I'm grateful for every step that brought me.
Clay and Wood
It wasn’t until I met my partner, who had left science for pottery, that I began to channel my curiosity back into drawing, designing and making. I wondered if craft could be a viable path - a question settled when I met a potter still loving it after nearly 60 years. I thought, “I have to give this a go!”. While clay opened that door, it is wood, trees and forests that inspire me. Furniture is how I make sense of that - shaped for the rooms and rhythms it will live within.
The Ecology of Furniture
I am drawn to rich forest ecosystems whose health depends upon the interdependence of trees with their community of fauna, flora and fungi. That sense of harmony stays with me when I think about furniture: how it is designed to support activity, how it relates to its surroundings, and how it endures. The aim is to give life to pieces that outlast mine.
The Old Mushroom Farm
Cornwall, where I live, is a place where landscape, material, and craft feel deeply intertwined. It is here I'm establishing my workshop at the Old Mushroom Farm, just outside St Ives. In a time of immense change, craft and community give me a strong sense of hope.
When I'm not in the workshop, I'm usually cycling the hills and trails of West Penwith.
